Every Breath You Take
by Numb3rsfan
Summary: During a rescue, both Roy and John are injured and trapped in a burning building, with no way to get out and no way to reach each other.
1. Early Morning Hours

**Every Breath You Take**

By

**Numb3rsfan**

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Angst, H/C, maybe a tad bit of Language as well.

Author's Notes: For those of you who have ever wondered, all my work is unbeta'd only because I can never find anyone who wants to help.

Disclaimer: I don't own Emergency!

Summary: During a rescue, both Roy and John are injured and trapped in a burning building, with no way to get out and no way to reach each other.

E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!

Chapter One: Early Morning Hours

The drive over to Station 51 was short and sweet for the two paramedics, Roy DeSoto and John "Johnny" Gage, even though they both lived twenty minutes away from the station, and yet they lived at least thirty to forty minutes from each other.

Both men arrived at the station at the same time, parking side-by-side like they normally did.

Exiting his newly washed and waxed Rover, Johnny smiled and waved at Roy who smiled and waved back.

"How were your days off?" Roy asked as Johnny walked the five steps over to him.

"Not to bad, not to bad. Man, kickin' back and relaxin' never felt so good. I'm tellin' ya." Johnny replied.

"I hear ya, only Joanne had me up and about doing yard work and fixing the leak in Chris' bedroom." Roy replied, turning and heading for the station's entrance, with Johnny walking along beside him.

"Aww man, that's rough." Johnny replied, knowing just how Roy felt. Well, he kinda knew how Roy felt. Since Johnny lived in an apartment, he didn't have a yard to mow, but he sometimes _'had'_ to fix his living room 'roof' when it started to leak, because his apartment manager would never call anyone to fix it.

Entering the station, both men bypassed the day room and entered the locker room, heading straight for their lockers.

Reaching their lockers, both men opened the doors at the exact same moment and reached in for their uniforms at the exact same time.

If anyone had been watching, they would have thought that it had been a rehearsed performance, but it only came from years of working together.

Buttoning up his blue uniform, Johnny grabbed the shiny badge and pinned it on before he grabbed his name badge which ID'd him as a LA County Paramedic, and pinned that on as well.

Then he got his regulation pants on before sitting down and putting on his black socks and shoes.

After that he stood back up and tucked in his uniform before looking at Roy who was doing the exact same thing.

Uniforms tucked in, each man put their belts on before shutting their locker doors and leaving the locker room, one behind the other.

Entering the day room, Johnny and Roy headed over to the coffee pot, only to find it empty and the cups untouched.

It was only then that they realized that they were the first ones there that morning and roll call was supposed to be in seven minutes.

"Ok… this is new." Johnny said after a minute, going to the window and looking out in to the parking lot.

"Yeah, usually Cap and Mike are here by now, and Marco should be pulling up anytime. Chet usually gets here three minutes before you do, and usually you are a few minutes late." Roy said.

"Well not today, partner. Not after Cap said he'd have my head if I was late again." Johnny replied, looking back out the window.

It was three minutes till roll call when four cars pulled in to the parking lot, one right after the next.

Each of them parked in their usual spots before getting out in a rush.

Suppressing a laugh, Johnny looked at Roy who nodded back at him with a smile.

Quickly both of them went to the apparatus bay and formed the beginnings of a line, both ready for roll call.

Within ten seconds, Johnny and Roy heard the front door fly open before they heard the sound of hurried feet entering the locker room, before there was nothing.

Chuckling a little, Johnny looked at Roy again, smiling a little as he fought not to laugh at this.

He finally had to bite his smile back when they both heard the locker room door fly open and the sound of hurried feet heading their way.

In seconds the red faces of Mike, Marco, Chet and Captain Stanley appeared, running through the day room and skidding to a stop beside Johnny and Roy.

Clearing his throat, Hank took two deep breaths before he entered his office and came back out with a clipboard and pen.

Out of his peripheral vision, Johnny saw that Chet's badge was upside down, and Marco's uniform had a few wrinkles.

Turning his head slightly, Johnny also saw that Mike's black shoes were untied, suggesting that they all had literally thrown their uniforms on and dashed to roll call before checking themselves over.

"Ok…" Captain Stanley began, looking up from his clipboard, "Mike, Johnny hang the hoses, Roy you have the dorms, Marco you have the kitchen and Chet…"

"I know, I know Cap. The latrine." Chet said, sounding down about that.

"Yes, and make sure you get everything clean…including the shower stalls!" Hank ordered.

With the orders for the day handed out, Hank retreated back to his office, while his men busied themselves with cleaning up the station.

Three hours in to their shift, Johnny and Mike had just been about through with the hose hanging when the tones went off.

"**Station 51, skateboard accident at Holly Lane, skateboard accident at Holly Lane. Cross street Martin Ave. Time out 10:30."**

Quickly Johnny scurried down from the tower and dashed back in to the station, sliding to a halt as he gripped the door to the squad and opened it, jumping in before closing it and grabbing his helmet.

Once his helmet was securely on his head, Johnny took the call slip from Roy as Roy flipped the siren on and roared out of the bay.

E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!

"Holly Lane is just off of Martin and 10th Roy. Turn on to Wood street and you can shave five minutes off." Johnny said as seconds later, Roy made the turn on to Wood.

"Skateboard accident. That's rather vague." Roy said after a minute as he concentrated on his driving.

"Well you know Holly Lane. It's a pretty steep road, plus it has a sharp curve." Johnny reminded.

"I know, I know." Roy replied before he turned on to Martin and drove down that road for a half mile.

Flicking on his turn signal, Roy raced up on to Holly Lane and drove up the steep hill.

About half way up, just before they got to the sharp curve, Johnny leaned forward and said, "Hold it, hold it!" as he pointed to a young boy who was waving his arms, trying to flag them down.

"I see em'!" Roy said, killing the siren and bringing the squad to a halt beside the boy.

The young boy couldn't have been more than 8 years old, Johnny guessed as the boy climbed up on to the squad's running board so he could look in through the window at Johnny and Roy.

"What seems to be the problem, son?" Johnny asked, seeing the boy's eyes start to water.

"My brother! You have'ta help em' mister fireman! He went over the edge!" The little boy cried, pointing to the guard rail where the sharp curve was.

"Don't worry, we will. Now, why don't you move back a little so I can get out?" Johnny said softly.

The little boy did so, allowing Johnny to get out of the squad.

Turning to the boy, Johnny knelt down till he was at eye level with the boy.

"What's your name son?" Johnny asked.

He knew that he really had to hurry and check on the other boy but he first had to gather as much info as he could from this young child in front of him.

"Luke…Luke Hanson. My brother's name is Johnny." Luke said.

"Ok Luke, now I need you to tell me exactly what happened." Johnny said before he glanced at Roy who was now over at the guard rail and peering down below.

"Momma told him not to do it, but Johnny said he could skate down this whole hill without stopping. I ran after him and saw him hit that and go over." Luke said, gesturing to the guard rail.

Seeing that the boy was about to start crying, Johnny put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's going to be alright Luke, it's going to be fine. My partner and I are going to get your brother. He's going to be fine." Johnny said before he stood up and went to the squad's compartments.

First he grabbed two sets of ropes and the belts and put them over his shoulders before he grabbed the drug box and biophone.

Then he ran over to Roy.

"What do you think?" Johnny asked, stopping by his partner.

Glancing down, Johnny saw that there were small rocks everywhere, making the ground seem a bit unstable.

Right at the bottom of a hill was a little boy lying next to a rock, and a broken skateboard lying next to the boy's head.

"Could be better." Roy admitted, taking the ropes from Johnny.

"Think we can do this without the engine?" Johnny asked.

Roy took another look down at the wounded boy before he nodded his head and said, "I think so.

Attaching the belt to himself, Johnny then grabbed the rope and tied it to the belt while Roy took the other end of the rope and attached it to the wheels of the squad which he had moved closer to the guard rail.

Johnny turned around, hands on the rope as he stood poised over the edge.

After receiving a nod from Roy, Johnny sighed before gently stepping off on to the unstable slope.

"MORE SLACK!" Johnny yelled as he kept lowering himself down.

When he had a few feet to go, Johnny felt the rope vibrate more than usual.

Looking at the rope, Johnny tightened his fists around it before the unthinkable happened.

The rope broke, plummeting Johnny the rest of the way down.

E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!

Johnny hit the ground hard on his feet, however he hit the ground with such force that his legs immediately buckled, sending him to the ground in a cloud of dirt.

"JOHNNY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" Roy yelled down to him.

Johnny didn't reply for a moment as he mentally checked himself over.

Deciding that he was for the most part alright, Johnny looked up and waved at Roy.

"I'M FINE! SEND DOWN THE DRUG BOX AND BIOPHONE!" He yelled back.

While Roy was working on getting another rope from the squad, Johnny went over to the boy and knelt down next to him.

"Johnny…Johnny can you hear me?" Johnny asked softly.

Slowly the boy's eyes opened and he gave a moan of pain in reply.

"Johnny, My name is Johnny Gage, I'm a fireman/paramedic with the LA fire department, and I'm here to get you out. Now, can you tell me what hurts?" Johnny said before he glanced back up to see the drugbox coming down.

"M…head…leg…" Johnny mumbled softly.

"Well don't you worry. We're going to make the pain go away." Johnny Gage replied as he stood up and went over to the drug box.

He waited there until he also had the biophone in hand before going over to the boy, who hadn't moved a muscle.

Kneeling down, Johnny opened up the drug box and took out the stethoscope and the BP cuff.

Quickly he got the boy's vitals and wrote them down before he gently felt the boy's arms and legs, searching for a possible break.

When that was done, Johnny opened up the biophone and put the antenna up before flipping it on and putting the receiver to his ear.

"Rampart this is Squad 51. Rampart, this is Squad 51." Johnny said.

Two seconds later he heard the voice of head nurse Dixie McCall on the other end.

"Squad 51, Rampart Base. Go ahead." Dixie said as she grabbed a pad of paper and a pencil.

"Rampart, we have a male child, approximant age 15, suffering from a broken leg and possible internal injuries, based on complains of the patient. His BP is 70/40, heart rate 80, pulse is shocky and unsteady, pupils equal and reactive." Johnny said.

There was a pause before Dr. Brackett's voice came over the line.

"51, start the patient on Ringer's Lactate, also 12 liters of O2 and transport as soon as possible."

"10-4 Rampart." Johnny replied before he put the phone down and began to set up the IV.

He knew that he could stabilize the boy, but if the boy needed surgery, then they would _have_ to have the parent's ok.

"Now John, you might feel a little needle sting." Johnny softly said as he swabbed down the boy's arm.

"Don't care." The boy replied.

Smiling a little at the boy's resilience, Johnny started the IV.

He knew that they would have to start O2 on him when he was up top, since it would be almost impossible to do it now.

Looking up, Johnny waved to Roy who waved back and seconds later the stokes was being lowered down.

"Shouldn't be long now John." Johnny said to the boy, before he went over to the stokes and brought it over to the boy.

Glancing at John's voice, Johnny saw the boy's eyes slide shut.

"Hey, hey. I need you to stay awake for me." Johnny said.

"tired…" the boy whispered, not feeling a thing as Johnny carefully placed him in the stokes and secured it.

"I know…I know that you are tired, but if you can stay with me a little while longer, you can sleep at the hospital." Johnny said.

Slowly the boy opened his tired eyes and whispered, "kay…"

With that confirmation, Johnny secured the stokes to the ropes and held it steady as Roy took up the slack and pulled it back up.

As the stokes went up, Johnny kept praying that the bag of Ringer's wouldn't fall out from the stokes, because he hadn't secured it all that well, but his worries were all for naught, because within three minutes the stokes was up top and handed over to the waiting ambulance.

Then the rope went back down and Johnny attached himself to it.

Soon he began to feel Roy take up the slack again, and slowly Johnny felt himself rising.

Deciding to help his partner, Johnny half climbed up himself. Well, he half did it for his partner; he half did it because he didn't trust the rope!

However, within minutes he was up top and headed over to the ambulance, leaving Roy to put away the biophone and drugbox, which Johnny had held on to during his climb up.

Once in the ambulance, Johnny grabbed the O2 tank which Roy had placed there, and gently put the O2 mask over the boy's face before turning it on.

Seeing the boy smile a little, Johnny said, "See, I told you it wouldn't take long."


	2. Round Two

**Every Breath You Take**

By

**Numb3rsfan**

Chapter Two: Round two!

"Treatment room three!" Kel Brackett ordered the second Johnny and the two orderlies stepped foot in to Rampart.

Never losing a beat, the orderlies picked up the pace and practically raced in to the assigned treatment room, pulling the gurney to a halt beside the treatment room table.

With ease, Johnny handed the IV to a nurse, who hung it up, while Johnny then helped the orderlies transfer the boy on to the treatment room table.

Then, while the orderlies left the room, Johnny began to assist Dr. Brackett, who began to shine his penlight in to the boy's eyes, while the nurse took his BP.

"How are you feeling, son?" Kel asked, once he was through with the penlight.

"Tired…an my right leg hurts. It hurts a lot."

Nodding his head, Dr. Brackett turned to the nurse, quickly ordering that x-ray's be taken.

Turning back to the boy, Dr. Brackett said, "Don't you worry, the pain will be gone before you know it."

Softly the boy smiled a little before he shut his eyes and fell to sleep.

Seeing that Kel had everything under control, Johnny nodded to him before turning and leaving the treatment room, heading over to the base station where Roy was leaning against the counter, sipping on a cup of coffee.

"How's the boy?" Roy asked, putting his cup down and offering Johnny another, which Johnny took.

"Well, from what I gathered, he's going to be alright." Johnny replied, before he sipped on his coffee.

Roy eyed his partner for a minute before he turned back and drunk some more of his coffee, though the look on his face didn't escape Johnny's notice.

"Now what's the problem Roy? I've seen that look on your face before. It's your worried look." Johnny said, leaning against the counter as well and giving Roy his full and complete attention.

"I'm not worried I just…ah…" Roy paused for a minute before he looked at Johnny, "Are you sure you're alright? You hit the ground pretty hard."

Johnny scoffed at this, "I told you I was fine Roy. Don't you trust me?"

"Sure I do, but you sometimes…well…neglect to tell me when you're hurting." Roy replied.

"Well, this time I was serious, Pally. I'm fine and I don't need to see a doctor." Johnny said.

A second later the familiar three beeps came from the handie-talkie in Roy's hand before the dispatcher's voice filtered through.

'_Squad 51, what is your status?'_

Keying the HT, Roy replied, "LA, Squad 51 available."

'_10-4, Squad 51. Stand by for response.'_

A second later the tones sounded for the 51 station and the dispatcher's voice was heard again, _'Station 51 possible drowning. Ray Trent Park. Ray Trent Park, cross street US 91. Time out 11:45'_

Roy keyed the HT again before replying, "Squad 51, 10-4."

Nodding to his partner, he and Johnny raced for the squad, while they heard Captain Stanley reply, "Engine 51, 10-4, KMG-365."

E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!

As they raced along US 91, Johnny was reading the call slip that he had hastily written down.

"Ray Trent Park?" He asked.

"It's the new park that just opened up two months ago. Remember all of the news reports on the radio?" Roy asked.

"Oh yeah…" Johnny replied with a nod of his head.

After a second Johnny reached down and grabbed an old map that was on the floor of the squad. The map was dirty and had footprints on it, but it was still readable.

"You're looking at maps again?" Roy asked, glancing over at his partner.

"Just checkin' something." Johnny replied, flipping to the right section and scanning the street names.

After a minute he looked up and said, "We should have gone down Truemper instead of 91. Truemper would have taken us right to the park."

"Now you tell me!" Roy shot back, shaking his head as he made a left turn, driving through the entrance of the park.

Shrugging his shoulders, Johnny folded the map back up before dropping it back on to the floor.

Slowly Roy brought the squad to a halt before both paramedics jumped out and went to the compartments.

Johnny grabbed the 02 and drugbox while Roy grabbed the biophone.

They were just about to head over to the pool, when a young man of about 21 rushed over to them.

"Come on man…this way! It's my brother! He hit his head on the big slide before tumbling off, into the pool. He was under for over a minute before I got him up, but by that time he wasn't breathing!"

Taking what the man said in stride, Johnny and Roy quickly turned and followed him over to the slide, where a small crowd had formed.

"Move back please…everybody move back!" Roy commanded as he and Johnny forced their way through.

Kneeling down, Roy opened up the man's shirt and started CPR, while Johnny quickly got the O2 mask positioned over the man's face.

Johnny then glanced over at his partner as Roy nodded to him.

Taking his queue, Johnny gave a burst of O2 to the man before Roy began the chest compressions again.

They worked for fifteen minutes straight before the man's neck arched and his body started to try and expel the water.

Removing the mask, Roy and Johnny tilted the man on to his side as the pool water gushed forth from his mouth, on to the pavement.

As the man gasped for breath, Johnny put the mask back on and began to administer the oxygen again while Roy grabbed the stethoscope and BP cuff.

Within minutes Roy had the vitals down and the biophone in hand.

Just as he was about to contact Rampart, they heard the sound of running feet.

Looking behind him Roy saw the rest of the men from station 51 coming towards them.

"Roy, Johnny, what'cha got?" Cap asked, looking at the man for himself.

"Drowning victim." Was all Roy said before he keyed in the biophone.

"Rampart this is Squad 51, how do you read?"

Meanwhile, the younger man tapped Cap on the shoulder and said, "Listen man, I need your help. He locked his dog in his car and the windows aren't rolled down!"

This caused Johnny to look up at the man who had alerted them to his brother's injury.

Sighing, Cap asked the man to show him the car, while the rest of the engine crew followed after their captain.

Turning back to Roy, Johnny watched him put the biophone down.

"What'd Brackett say?" Johnny asked.

"It wasn't Brackett this time. It was Dr. Early. He said keep the O2 on him and transport as soon as possible." Roy replied.

"So what was up with Cap? He had that annoyed look." Roy said.

"Oh, he, "Johnny said, gesturing to their patient, "locked his dog in the car and neglected to roll the windows down."

Roy chuckled a little at that, but got all serious again when the ambulance arrived.

"I'll ride in with em'." Roy said, helping the attendants load the victim up.

"I'll meet you at Rampart then." Johnny replied, watching Roy get in to the back of the ambulance before the doors were shut.

Then the ambulance roared off, heading for the hospital.


	3. Not Highly Amused

**Every Breath You Take**

Chapter Three: Not Highly Amused

"How long does it take to free a dog from a car?" Johnny asked as he flopped down on one of the wooden chairs in front of the table at Station 51.

He and his partner had gotten back to the station ten minutes ago, and the engine still hadn't come back.

"Maybe they got another run." Roy suggested.

To this, Johnny shook his head and replied, "Nope. Been monitoring the HT. They weren't assigned anywhere else."

"Quit your worrying Johnny. They'll be here when they get here." Roy said, picking up the morning paper and flipping to the comics section.

Sighing, Johnny looked towards the apparatus bay just in time to hear the engine back up and then enter the bay.

Looking up, Roy said, "See, now what'd I tell ya?"

Johnny shot him a look before watching Marco, Mike and Cap come in.

Mike and Marco headed for the coffee, while Cap headed for the fridge to get some milk.

"Hey…how was it?" Johnny asked.

Taking a sip from his warm coffee, Marco turned to face John and said, "Getting the dog out was easy, then we _'had'_ to wait around for the vet to show up and check him out."

"That wasn't the kicker. The kicker happened when we got the door unlocked." Mike interjected, also taking a sip of his coffee as well.

"Why, what happened?" Johnny asked curiously.

"The dog jumped out of the car. He was pantin' but he had a grin on his face a mile wide. Chet had a small hose hooked up so the dog could get some water." Marco began.

A smile crept on to Johnny's face as he thought he knew where this was going.

"Lemme guess, Chet sprayed em' and then the dog shook the water off all over Chet!"

Both Mike and Marco shook their heads at Johnny's guess.

"Even worse. After the dog got a drink he jumped on Kelly and slobbered all over him. Chet's uniform was soaked by the time the dog jumped down." Marco said.

When Marco had finished the story, Johnny and Roy both looked at each other before they burst out laughing.

"Laugh all you want Gage, but remember the Phantom lurks around every dark corner." Chet said, coming in wearing a fresh, clean uniform.

"Aaaheemmm. Chet!" Cap said, giving Chet a look.

"What?" Chet asked.

"What did I tell you?" Cap asked.

"That you didn't want to see the Phantom out….this shift." Kelly emphasized.

Cap gave Chet another look before he turned to face his two paramedics.

"How's your drowning victim's condition?" He asked.

"Dr. Early says he's going to recover. I don't think he'll go near a pool again for awhile." Roy replied.

Johnny smirked at that and rolled his eyes, but that was the only reaction he could make because not a second later the tones went off for the third time that day!

Sighing, Johnny and Roy rose up from their seats, anticipating that the call would be for the squad.

"**Station 51, structure fire at the factory. 1320 Lackland Rd. 1320 Lackland Rd, cross street Anderson, time out 1:30."**

Quickly they all dashed for their vehicles while Cap wrote down the address on two separate call sheets, then he grabbed the mic and said, "Station 51 10-4, KMG-.365."

Turning, Cap jogged the few steps to the squad and handed one of the call sheets to Roy, who in turn handed it to Johnny. Then Cap toggled the bay door before running to the engine and donning his gear.

Once the bay door was up high enough that both the engine and the squad could leave, Roy led them out of the bay and on to the busy street before flicking on the squad's siren.

A second later the engine's siren joined them.

"Aw man, this is going to be a bad one." Johnny said with a shake of his head.

"How do you figure?" Roy asked, easing in to the intersection and making a left turn.

"Because…I…know some people who work in that factory. Let's just say that there are plenty of flammable materials and stuff that gives off toxic gas." Johnny said.

"Such as?" Roy asked.

"Cable tennis balls and other sporting equipment." Johnny replied.

Roy sighed at this as he turned down another street that would lead him to Lackland Rd.

"Also I think there's a few rooms where they store wool and or silk." Johnny said.

"Perfect, not only would we have to deal with toxic gas, but we'd have to worry about cyanide gas as well." Roy replied.

Shaking his head, Roy pulled to a stop a safe distance away from the burning building, while the engine stopped behind them long enough for Chet, Marco and Cap to get out.

They quickly took some of the hose off of the engine, before Mike brought the engine forward, laying more hose down.

"Marco, Chet bring an inch and a half to the side of the building!... and watch out for those wires, they may be live!" Cap warned.

As Cap was speaking, a soot covered security guard stumbled over to them.

Seeing the shape the man was in, Roy and John hurried over to him and gently eased him to the ground.

"I'm alright, I'm alright. Don't worry about me, but Willy and Lucas are still in there!" The security guard said, pointing to the inferno.

"Cap," Roy yelled, "The man claims that there are still people inside!"

"Alright check it out, but make it quick. The building doesn't look to stable." Hank said.

"Right." Roy said as he ran back to the squad and began to gear up.

Meanwhile Johnny had situated an O2 mask over the guard's nose and mouth before ordering him to keep it on and not to move.

A nod from the guard was enough to get Johnny on his feet and back over to the squad.

Within two minutes Johnny had his SCBA on, as well as his hat and gloves.

Looking down, Johnny also made sure that his turnout coat was completely fastened before he looked and nodded at Roy.

"Ready?" Roy asked; his voice slightly muffled by the mask over his face.

"Yeah!" Johnny replied.

"Then let's do it." Roy said.

Together the two paramedics ran towards the entrance to the factory.

E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!

"Johnny, check the two rooms at the end of the hall, I've got these two." Roy yelled through his mask, indicating the rooms to his immediate right.

Getting a confirmation from his partner, Roy slowly headed for the door.

Smoothly Roy put a hand out, feeling intense heat even through his glove.

Rising, he peeked through the broken glass window and saw that the whole entire room was covered in flames.

'_No way.'_ He thought as he headed for the other door.

Meanwhile, Johnny had entered the first room at the end of the hall.

There weren't any flames in there as of yet, but there was a lot of smoke.

Staying low, Johnny searched the room before he found an unconscious person on the floor.

Rolling him over, John discovered that it was his old friend Willy Payton.

Taking off his glove, Johnny felt Willy's neck for a pulse, relieved for a second at finding one, even though it was weak.

Putting his glove back on, Johnny moved to pick up his friend when the whole room started to shake.

Looking up, Johnny saw dust and smoke coming from the ceiling before his whole world went blank with a deafening roar.

E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!

Roy entered the second room, staying as low as possible.

The room was extremely smoky and the walls were glowing from the flames on the other side.

'_Best get this room searched and get out of here.'_ Roy thought.

He rounded a table and saw a body on the floor, half under the table.

'_Must have been hiding when the smoke got to him.'_ Roy thought, knowing that it couldn't be toxic or cyanide gas, since he hadn't seen anything that could give off those types of gases in a fire.

Roy had just been about to take his glove off when the room he was in started to shake, sending a whole bunch of dust down on top of him.

Not even looking up, Roy grabbed the guy and stood up, running for the door as his HT squawked, "Roy, John get out of there, now!"

That was the last thing Roy heard as something blew him off of his feet, causing his world to go black.


	4. Trapped

**Every Breath You Take**

Chapter Four: Trapped

The smell of something burning brought Johnny back to the land of the living. Opening his eyes was a big mistake because the thick smoke instantly stung his eyes and made him cough.

Rising up a little, John looked around and saw that his SCBA had been ripped off of his back and was now lying a few feet away from him.

Grimacing, Johnny put a gloved hand out in front of him, waving the smoke away from his face as he crawled forward towards his precious air supply.

As his hands grasped the straps and he started to pull the bottle and air mask towards himself, his mind went back to earlier.

'_What'd I come in here for?'_ He wondered, glancing behind him to the unmoving body along the far wall.

'_The victim…Willy!'_ Johnny realized, gripping the tank in one arm as he slowly crawled along the floor, finally reaching Willy's side.

Turning Willy over, Johnny removed a glove from his hand before he checked for a pulse, his shoulders slumping forward when their wasn't one.

Knowing that he didn't have the proper equipment, and the fact that the place was burning down around him was the reason that Johnny didn't even try CPR.

"Sorry buddy." Johnny whispered before the smoke got to him and he started coughing in earnest.

Quickly Johnny put his air mask back on, breathing in the sweet O2 as smoothly as he could.

His head clearing, Johnny looked towards the doorway…or…what was left of the doorway.

Just beyond the frame, Johnny saw bits of metal and wood and other items that were on fire.

'_No help that way.'_ Johnny thought to himself, realizing that that was his only way out.

Grunting, Johnny crawled back to the far wall, so he was as far away from the heat and flames as possible, even though that it was likely that any minute know the fire would spread in to the room that he was in.

As he sat against the far wall, Johnny eyed the flames with a little bit of fear, knowing that it would probably be the death of him that day.

'_Well, this is what I signed up for…to die in a burning building.'_ He thought to himself.

Suddenly a sound made him sit up a little straighter; it was a sound that he dreaded hearing each time he was in a sticky situation.

Slowly Johnny pulled the air tank closer to him and checked the gauge on it before he dropped the air mask in disgust.

He had just run out of oxygen, so now he had no other choice but to breathe in the hot air and who knows what else in to his system.

'_Man this is not my day!'_ He thought to himself as a coughing fit overtook him.

E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!

The crackling of the fire quickly woke Roy up from his beauty sleep.

Raising his head, he looked around and saw his victim lying just in front of him.

Slowly Roy scooted himself forward, reaching out a slightly shaky hand to check the victim's pulse.

When he felt nothing he retracted his hand before he took a good look around him.

'_Still in the hall…that much is obvious. Trapped in a pocket of debris maybe…dang it…where's the HT…and where the heck is Johnny?'_ Roy wondered.

Removing his mask, Roy coughed a bit before he yelled, "Johnny?! Johnny where are you?!"

It seemed like an agonizingly long wait before he heard a voice that he recognized as Johnny's even though it sounded really faint.

'_Ok, either he's really far away or…he's really hurt!'_ Roy thought to himself.

"…oy…where are you?"

"I don't know Johnny! Out in the hall…trapped under something…where are you?...are you hurt?" Roy yelled.

Four seconds later, Johnny's faint voice replied, "…don't think so…found the other victim in his office, but now…trapped inside…can't get out…a…air tank is…empty."

Roy guessed that the lapses in Johnny's sentences were him either gasping for breath or coughing, since he had no oxygen.

"Don't worry Junior…we're going to get out of here!" Roy yelled, not really expecting a response, so he wasn't to terribly surprised when he didn't receive one.

Glancing around, Roy tried to spot the HT, hoping against hope that it was in reach.

When he found it, he realized getting to it was going to be a bit of a problem, since it was now incased in flames.

Looking around, Roy spotted a small yet long pole. Grabbing it, Roy maneuvered it over to the HT, hooking it through the small band at the end.

Gently Roy pulled it towards him, watching as once it left the flames it started smoking a bit, but it didn't reignite.

"Ok, got it loose, now just pray that it still works." Roy mumbled to himself, taking another breath of oxygen as he heard his tank finally signal that it had run out.

Gripping the HT in his gloved hand, Roy closed his eyes before turning up the volume.

The HT suddenly crackled as Captain Stanley's voice filtered through.

"…_ine 51 to HT 51. Damn it, come on you two…answer me!"_ Captain Stanley said.

"Man, he sounds really worried." Roy muttered, keying in the response button before speaking, "Engine 51, this is HT 51, I read you."

Roy heard a few people breathe sighs of relief before Cap's definitely softened voice asked, _"Are you two alright?"_

"I'm pretty sure that I am, Cap. I don't know about Johnny. I can't get to him." Roy replied before he coughed.

"_Why can't you get to him?"_ Cap asked.

"He's trapped in one of the victim's offices, and I'm trapped under a pocket of debris. Cap…both of our air tanks have just run out." Roy said.

There were a few seconds of silence before Cap said, _"Understood Roy. Sit tight, we're working on getting you and Gage out."_

"I'd really appreciate it if you hurried. It's getting pretty hot in here." Roy said, semi jokingly.

"_We'll have you out of there soon."_ Cap said, trying to ease his senior paramedic's mind.

"Understood." Roy replied before he dropped the HT and yelled, "Their coming for us Johnny! Shouldn't be to long!"

E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!

Johnny for his part, had heard Roy's proclamation, but he couldn't get enough air in to answer him.

As it was, Johnny was barely drawing in enough air to stay conscious.

Sliding down the wall, Johnny got a closer look at the fire and saw a box in the flames. Squinting, he thought he saw what was left of a box full of tennis balls.

'_Toxic gas!'_ He thought.

As another coughing fit overcame him, he closed his eyes and prayed that whoever was out there would hurry up and get him out, if not for his sake, for the sake of his partner.

However, as the minutes dragged by, Johnny was finding it harder and harder to stay awake.

Finally blinking away some of the haze, Johnny realized that he had zoned out for who knows how long.

Looking at the door, Johnny was shocked to see that the fire had now entered the room, though just barely.

With heart rate increasing, Johnny watched the chair nearest the door burst in to flames when the fire touched it.

Gathering as much strength as he could, Johnny scooted in to the corner, getting as far away from the flames as possible before he blanked out from the smoke and toxic gas.


	5. Not A Smart Thing to Do

**Every Breath You Take**

Chapter Five: Not A Smart Thing to Do

"That building is quickly going up and my men can't wait!" Captain Stanley said to the battalion chief who had just shown up with three other stations to help 51 battle the blaze which they were quickly losing control of.

"I realize that, but it's just to risky. You'd be endangering more lives." The battalion chief replied.

"My men are willing to take that chance." Cap said.

Mike, Marco and Chet who had just been relieved by the firefighters from 19's, came over to Cap, and just caught what Cap had just said.

"Respectfully sir, Johnny and Roy are friends and colleagues, and there isn't any way in hell that we are going to leave them in there to burn to death." Chet said.

Mike, Marco, Cap and the battalion chief turned to face Chet, none of them having ever heard Chet speak like that before.

Seeing the determination on all of their faces, the battalion chief finally nodded his head, giving 51 permission to go rescue their friends.

"Alright, this is where we stand. Roy is underneath a pocket of debris somewhere between the first two offices and the entrance. He said he was out in the hall." Captain Stanley said as he and his men now turned to the blueprints of the building that someone had provided.

"What about Johnny?" Mike asked.

"From what Roy said, he's trapped in one of these two offices." Cap replied, tapping the two offices.

"Which one?" Chet asked.

"I don't know. Roy didn't say. In fact, I don't even think he knows."

"Well…" Mike thought the wheels in his mind turning, "Let's assume that one of the two offices that Roy was searching was already on fire."

The rest of the men from Station 51 nodded, thinking this was plausible because Roy's offices would be nearer the flames than the back offices.

"So Roy would have skipped a room that was fully involved. Now Johnny always checks a room and we all know how long he can take. So assuming that neither of the two offices he was sent to check, were on fire…" Mike said.

"He's gotta be in the first one." Chet replied, receiving a nod from Mike.

"That's a lot of if's…but its all we got. That building is going up and its going up fast. Mike, Chet, take an inch and a half in and see if you can find Roy and get him out, Marco and I will figure out how to get John out." Cap said.

"Right Cap." Mike said, before he and Chet ran to grab the correct sized hose.

E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!

"I've heard a lot of dumb ideas in my time, Captain Stanley. But yours in the worst! Cutting and removing a portion of that roof! You don't even know if your fireman is where you say he is!" The battalion chief said.

Captain Stanley opened his mouth to say something, but the battalion chief continued, "Besides, that roof is under a lot of stress, and your men walking around up there could send it toppling down!"

"I don't think so." Cap said.

"You don't think?" The battalion chief asked.

"Look sir. The decision has already been made," Cap began, knowing that it wasn't a good idea to say this to a battalion chief, "I just wanted to fill you in."

Then without waiting for a reply, Cap turned and went back to Marco who handed him some rope and two belts.

Then putting on his SCBA, Cap and Marco raced towards the ladder that led to the roof.

Now thankfully the fire wasn't coming up through the portion of roof that they would be working on, but they knew that they had to make this a fast rescue.

"K-12's already up there, Cap." Marco said once they reached the ladder.

"Ok, lets do this." Cap replied before he began to climb the ladder as quickly as he could, with Marco right behind him.

Now, usually a captain wouldn't bother with this; he would let his men to the job, but Captain Stanley was no regular captain. He and his men had all formed very close bonds…more like a family really, and Cap wasn't just going to sit by without trying to help free his men.

E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!

Roy kept his face as low to the ground as possible, knowing that all the smoke would rise, leaving the oxygen near the ground.

He could still hear the crackling flames, but thankfully they hadn't moved in his direction.

"ROY!"

Rising his head, Roy tried to peek out of a small hole in the debris, but all he saw was wood.

"HERE!" Roy yelled.

He waited, hearing pounding steps towards him, before he heard the familiar spray of the water hose.

"HERE, GUYS!" Roy yelled again.

"Ok buddy, we got you pinpointed." Chet said, spraying water on the debris to drench the few small flames that had been rising.

When they were out, Mike cut off the water and put the hose down before he and Chet raced forward and began to remove the broken boards and pieces of wall that had come down.

After a few minutes, Roy felt something trickling down on top of him.

Glancing at his shoulder, Roy saw that it was dirt.

Looking up again he saw some of the debris to his immediate right shift before a piece of light…well firelight came streaming down on him.

Having a fix on their target, Mike and Chet worked with renewed strength, finally removing enough of the debris to pull Roy out…barring he didn't have some type of internal or back injury.

Reaching in, both Mike and Chet gripped Roy's arm and gently tugged forward. Roy helped a bit and soon he found himself free of the debris, and having an airmask placed over his face.

Chet and Mike each helped to hold Roy up as they quickly headed for the exit.

Because of the sudden burst of fresh, clean oxygen, Roy's head cleared a little and he was able to pick up a bit of steam; enough that he was able to rush out the door and down the steps of the building before the awning behind them collapsed.

Quickly, Mike and Chet took Roy to the small triage section that the paramedics of 36 had set up.

Putting Roy on the tarp, Mike and Chet stepped back and went back to work, while Bellingham and Wheeler checked Roy over.


	6. Running out of Time

**Every Breath You Take**

Chapter Six: Running out of Time

Cap turned the K-12 off for the second time before he put it down. He didn't dare just drop it because the K-12's didn't like to be dropped, and he knew that it would be awhile before one of them could be replaced.

Kneeling down, Cap gripped a part of the roof while Marco gripped the other side. Together the pulled up, hoping that they could get it to bend enough so that they could get enough clearance to lower one of them down.

Finally they were able to bend the warped metal roof enough so that they were looking down at the plaster roof of one of the offices.

Making a face, Cap grabbed the belt and secured it around his waist before he looked around for the rope. When he found it, he also found himself looking at Mike and Chet who had come up not to long ago, to help.

A nod of Mike's head told Cap that they had gotten Roy out, but it didn't tell him anymore than that.

Taking the rope, Cap fastened it to the belt before moving back over to the hole.

He waited only long enough for Chet, Mike and Marco to get a real good grip on the rope before he lowered himself in to the hole, until he was just above the plaster.

Looking up, Cap took the K-12 which Marco offered before he concentrated on carving a hole in the plaster.

When he started cutting, bits of plaster went everywhere before a big piece of it finally let loose and fell to the ground below.

After shutting off the K-12, Cap handed it back up to Marco, who once again had to let go of the rope to take it.

Setting it down, Marco returned to the rope and helped his friends lower their Captain in to the smoking room.

E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!

Johnny wasn't even conscious of the fact that the fire was now licking his turnout coat, nor was he aware of the fact that his legs were now on fire.

In fact, he wasn't conscious at all, so he didn't notice the ceiling above him buckle before crashing down several feet away, nor did he notice a fireman being lowered in to the room.

E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!

Captain Stanley took one glance around the room before his eyes centered on his downed paramedic.

Quickly he snapped in to gear and saw what needed to be done.

Running over to John, Captain Stanley brought his gloved hands down over Johnny's legs, beating at the flames.

Cap was rewarded when Johnny moaned a bit, but that was it.

'_Hang on John. I'll get you out of here in a second.'_ Cap thought, beating the last of the flames out.

When they were gone, Cap removed his oxygen mask and slipped it over John's face before he turned and looked at the original victim.

Judging by the stiffness and the paleness, Cap guessed that the victim was dead, and had been so for awhile.

Turning back to John, Cap gently picked him up and secured the rope to him before tugging on it, both to make sure it was secure, and to let his men know to start pulling.

Within seconds, Johnny began his journey upward until he disappeared out of the hole.

Raising a hand, Captain Stanley coughed a few times before he looked back up to see the rope coming back down.

Quickly he secured himself to it before yanking once more, and then it was his turn to be pulled back up.

The ride up was short and before he knew it, Cap felt strong hands pulling him up and out.

Looking around, Cap saw Mike making his way down the ladder, with Johnny laying across his shoulders, like nothing much more than a block of wood.

When Mike was down, everyone else followed.

First there was Cap, then there was Marco and then Chet, carrying the rope and the K-12.

E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!

"Johnny!" Roy exclaimed watching Mike carry his partner over and lay him down on the cool tarp.

Roy was about to crawl over to John when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Looking up, Roy saw that it was Bellingham.

"Take it easy Roy, we'll look after your partner." He said before he and Wheeler got to work assessing John's injuries, while Roy could do no more than watch and hope.

Dimly he heard Wheeler contact Rampart and issue out John's vitals.

"BP 40/60, Heart rates 20, pulse weak and thready. Wheezing is apparent. Also he has 2nd and 3rd degree burns on both of his legs."

"…gas" Roy muttered for a second, remembering something that Johnny had said to him when they had arrived at the scene, though it seemed a lifetime ago, for Roy.

"Roy?" Bellingham asked, looking up at Roy.

"Toxic gas! Johnny told me they were making sporting good stuff…or that they had some in the building. He may have been exposed to some toxic gas!" Roy said.

Nodding his head, Wheeler got back on the line with Rampart and told them this latest bit of information, but before Rampart could issue out any medication, Johnny stopped breathing.

Wheeler quickly announced the fact that Johnny was no longer breathing and had gone in to V-Fib before he dropped the phone and grabbed the defibrillator while Bellingham placed an oxygen mask over Johnny's face and turned it on, full flow.

Roy wasn't paying that much attention, all he could do was sit and stare as his partner's life slipped away with every second that he wasn't breathing.

Quickly Wheeler applied the gel to the paddles while it was charging, before he yelled "clear", and applied the paddles to Johnny's chest.

With the shock, Johnny's body arched upward while Bellingham glanced at the EKG which they had set up when they had first began.

'_Good thing we did that when we did. We'd have no time now.'_ Wheeler thought as he said, "No conversion."

He recharged the defibrillator before sending another jolt through Johnny's body, causing it to arch up again.

Sighing, Wheeler put the paddles down and said, "We got him back."

Bellingham also sighed, though just not as noticeably.

'_Man Johnny don't do that! Your partner would never forgive us if we let you die!' _He thought.


	7. Treatment

**Every Breath You Take**

Chapter Seven: Treatment

Wheeler glanced out of the small window as the ambulance backed in to the parking space at the Emergency entrance to Rampart, where Nurse McCall and Dr. Brackett were waiting.

When Johnny's vitals had started to fall a second time, Bellingham and Wheeler had known that they couldn't wait to get him stabilized any longer; they had to transport now and hope that Johnny survived, which for the most part he had.

Blinking the haze back, Wheeler raised his head as the ambulance doors opened.

Jumping out, Wheeler held on to the IV while the ambulance attendants got the gurney out and rushed inside.

"Treatment room four…on the double!" Dr. Brackett ordered, running along side them.

With only a nod of their heads, the ambulance attendants stepped up the pace, practically jogging in to the treatment room.

With ease they transferred Johnny on to the treatment room table before taking the gurney out of the room. Meanwhile, as Kel and Dr. Joe Early swarmed over Johnny; checking his pupils and taking his vitals, Wheeler hung the IV before stepping back.

As Wheeler watched, Dr. Brackett ordered the nurse who had just entered the room not two seconds ago, to get blood drawn for the whole kit and caboodle. Kel would leave nothing untouched if it would help save Johnny's life.

After getting that little nod from Brackett, Bob Wheeler turned and left the room just in time to see his partner coming towards him.

"Just brought DeSoto in. Dr. Early didn't seem too worried about him." Bellingham said, hooking a thumb towards treatment room two.

"Man, what is it with those two? They always see the brunt of the action and wind up coming here." Bob said.

Bellingham shrugged his shoulders for a second before he replied, "I don't know. Maybe its just pure bad luck."

"I wouldn't count on that." Bob said before he and his partner headed for their squad.

E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!

Roy was laying down on the treatment room table patiently waiting as Dr. Early listened to his heart before glancing up at the monitor which showed his BP and heart rate.

"Doc…how's Johnny?" Roy asked, genuinely concerned for his young partner.

Dr. Early looked over at Roy before he said, "I don't know Roy. From what Dr. Brackett said he's in pretty rough shape."

"Could you check…please?" Roy asked; knowing that Nurse Dixie McCall would give him a whole bunch of flack if he left the treatment room.

"Sure. But you have to do me a favor and stay here; take it easy until I come back." Joe said.

"Sure doc." Roy replied.

With a slight smile on his face, Dr. Joe Early turned and left the room to check on the status of Rampart's star patient.

E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!

"How is he?"

Dr. Kel Brackett turned to see his long time friend Dr. Joe Early coming towards him.

"His partner's pretty worried about him."

"So are his doctors, Joe." Kel said before he sighed and continued, "He's on his way to ICU where they are going to treat his burns. We're also going to keep him pumped full of antibiotics and on a vent until the toxic gas is out of his system.

"The next 24 hours are critical. If he survives that then…well I'll say he's got a fighting chance." Kel said.

Joe nodded his head before he asked the question that he knew would be on all of their minds.

"Would he be able to return to the department?"

"With a lot of luck I'd expect so." Kel replied.

There was a moment of silence before Kel turned to face his friend and asked, "How's Roy?"

"Just a bit of smoke inhalation and a few first degree burns. Nothing really serious." Joe said.

"Have you called his wife?" Kel asked.

"Not yet. I was planning on letting Roy do that. It'd be better for his wife to hear from him rather than from me." Joe said.

Kel offered a small smile at that before he patted Joe's arm and walked off while Joe turned to return to Roy's treatment room.

He knew that once he gave Roy the news then he would be all uptight, wanting to be by his partner's side every minute, as if by his being there he could protect his partner in some way.

Roy and Johnny's friendship was the closest one he had ever seen. There was none really quite like it in the entire fire department. To Joe, it seemed as if Roy and Johnny had really bonded; going way past the friendship stage and into the brother stage.

Joe figured that this was a good thing since the both of them kept getting injured, but he also knew that whatever decisions they would make to further their own careers in the future would be affected by that friendship.

'_Oh well. It isn't my business to worry about that.' _Joe thought to himself as he entered the treatment room.

E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!E!

(Three Hours Later…)

Roy sighed as he sat in there chair beside his partner's bed. Without moving his head, Roy knew that his wife Joanne was sitting right next to him.

She had come over right away after Roy had called to tell her what had happened.

Of course she was worried about the both of them, Roy more than Johnny because Roy was her husband, but when Roy had assured her that he was fine, Joanne's worry shifted to Johnny.

He looked so pale and lifeless lying in that bed with all of the tubes snaking over his body.

To her it looked like the bed was just going to swallow him whole.

Breaking her eyes off of the young man, she looked to her husband who still had that worried look.

She recognized it because Roy always got that faraway look to his eyes, but deep inside she could see the pain in them.

Gently she took his hand and gave it a squeeze, affectively snapping him out of it.

Turning his head he smiled at her for a moment before returning his gaze to Johnny's still form.

"Roy, he's going to be fine. How do you think Johnny's going to feel when he wakes up and finds out that you haven't been taking care of yourself?" Joanne asked.

"Honey, I've only been here for three hours. Besides…Dr. Brackett and Dixie wouldn't let me be if I stopped taking care of myself…and neither would you." Roy said.

"You're right there, mister." Joanne replied with a smile.

"I just wish…we shouldn't have split up. Johnny and I would still be working if we hadn't split up." Roy said.

Joanne sighed and shook her head, never letting go of her husband's hand.

"You don't know that honey. From what you told me earlier, what you chose to do was the fastest thing, and if you both had stayed together, you might have been trapped in the same room as Johnny, and instead of it being just him in this condition; it could be the both of you. Do you know how scared and worried it'd be if that had happened?" Joanne asked.

"You'd worry yourself sick." Roy said.

"That's right. I would never leave your side. I would have to be dragged away. So…Roy, honey…just be thankful. There is a big chance that Johnny is going to pull through and recover…you just have to believe that it will happen." Joanne said.

"I know, honey. I know." Roy replied softly.


End file.
